dreaming of open seas

Sunday Snapshot

2012-02-25T19:59:00.001-08:00

A few weekends ago, I went with my daughter and my two grandchildren to the

agricultural fair at a small neighbouring town.

There were a number of events during the time we were there:
wood-chopping, Highland dancing, dog-handling etc.

By far the most unusual was a group of women, mostly middle-aged-or-older,
who presented a programme of belly-dancing. They were certainly having a great deal of fun.
The first few numbers were danced to middle-eastern-type music, but then they switched to country-and-western tunes...

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
~ Hamlet

Thematic Photographic 184: Curved

2012-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

For this week's theme I have a ~~collectic ellection~~ an eclectic collection

of curved shots from near and far...

I could have done a whole post on my favourite architect/artist, Gaudi - but I restrained myself to just one shot of a ventilation cover on the roof of the Casa Batllo, Barcelona ~

Now I'm inside the Grand Mosque in Bursa, Turkey ~

Walking into, and around the top of, a recently-formed crater of Mt Etna in Sicily ~

Back in New Zealand, here's a wintry late afternoon shot in Wellington ~

and some lovely curvy blossoms in a garden in Taranaki ~

Visiting the Auckland zoo - this is a whale's backbone ~

Three curved shots from my neighbourhood ~

And my last curve: goodnight, moon...

If you'd like to see more posts for this theme, visit Written Inc and look around!

Thematic Photographic 183: Pairs

2012-02-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Some pairs from a day in Auckland for this week's Thematic Photographic -

visit here to see more.

This pair of native birds made a lovely mural on a wall of a shopping precinct:

And there's a pair of mannequins in the window:

At the zoo I saw this pair:

And a couple of seals sunbathing on a rock.

At the Art Gallery I took a pic of this pair - I think the guy spotted me!

Back to school

2012-02-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

I haven't been around the blog world very much lately, I'm afraid - just a quick check now and then, the occasional comment. I have been day-blurringly busy, and I do

miss having the time to linger.

Our new school year began on February 1st. I had gone in most days for several weeks before that, and felt as if I was pretty well prepared - HA! The reality of kids in front of you plus the million things associated with the beginning of the year - plus the sad sudden death of a just-retired colleague - all of it has been making me feel as if I don't have a second to spare. Last night I took the dog for his walk at 10.30!

Apart from that there are lots of changes happening in my outside-school life, connected with selling the house we have been in for 24 years, all of the stresses that go with clearing out stuff, packing stuff, looking for somewhere to live ... whew. You get the picture.

I hope to get some time to myself some ~~day~~ ~~week~~ month soon. I haven't forgotten y'all!

In the meantime, have a wonderful day today

Happy Birthday, Charles

2012-02-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens.

image from

I credit Dickens, via the agency of my mother, for my lifelong love of literature,

my excellent university results (yes, I'm boasting, but I'm allowed to be proud), and

my career as an English teacher.

You see, when I was very small, my mother, like many before and since, read me bedtime stories. What did she read? Dickens. Not Enid Blyton, not Noddy and Big Ears - no, it was Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol ... She said she didn't see any point

in reading me what she called "kiddie rubbish"!

As part of my undergraduate degree I did a paper in Victorian Literature - hated most of it, except the Dickens. I don't read him now; I read widely but most often choose fantasy/sci-fi. But what a master of characterisation he was; I have always been instantly able to conjure up a mental picture of Uriah Heep, Bill Sykes or Miss Havisham.

image from

What a superstar! he was the first media celebrity, witing his serials in the newspaper; each episode ended with a cliffhanger, to keep readers hanging out for the next one. Today, he'd be writing Coronation Street.

I liked Google's birthday doodle yesterday - if you didn't see it, here it is:


image from

"I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies!"

(from Bleak House)

Sunday Snapshot

2012-02-05T00:31:00.000-08:00

This morning I visited the small town of Katikati, which publicises itself as The Mural Town.

Murals are found on buildings all over the town, depicting the people and events

of the town's past. Here are two of them, one on the side of the Library, and the

second one just on the side of a shop:

There are many more, but it was an overcast morning, and the town was so busy that I couldn't get near them for cars and people. I'll have to go back on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

Screens - Thematic Photographic

2012-02-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

A different kind of theme this week: screens. I began counting up the number of tech-type screens I own and/or work with every day. Scary!

For a start, here are two ordinary screens; the fly screen on the back door of my house

and the monitor on one of our TV sets.

For more posts on this theme, go to Written Inc.

Sunday Snapshot

2012-01-29T01:03:00.000-08:00

I really didn't enjoy having my toenail removed - I YELPED as loudly as I could. But you must admit, it's a very smart bandage! Blue suits my black-and-white colouring, I feel.

The Hare with the Amber Eyes

2012-01-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

The Palais Ephrussi in Vienna via

"There are things in this world that the children hear, but whose sounds oscillate below an adult's sense of pitch. They hear the green-and-gold clock in the salon (which has mermaids on it) tick every slow second as they sit in starched immobility during visits from great-aunts. They can hear the shuffle of the carriage horses in the courtyard, which means they are finally off to the park. There is the sound of rain on the glass roof over the courtyard,

which means they are not.

via

There are things that the children smell that are part of their landscape: the smell of their father's cigar smoke in the library, their mother, or the smell of schnitzel in covered dishes as it is carried past the nursery for lunch. The smell behind the itchy tapestries in the dining-room when they creep behind them to hide. And the smell of hot chocolate after skating.

via

Emmy makes this for them sometimes. Chocolate is brought in on a porcelain dish, and then they are allowed to break it into pieces the size of a krone and these dark shards are melted in a little silver saucepan by Emmy over a purple flame. Then, when it is glaucous, warm milk is stirred over it and sugar stirred in."

This is an extract from The Hare with the Amber Eyes, a beautifully written memoir by Edmund de Waal, the pre-eminent British potter. An investigation of his uncle's collection of netsuke leads him down a path of family and European history. I loved the concept and the content of this book; I especially loved the way he writes, of which the above passage is an example. Many times I stopped and re-read a piece several times over, for the beauty of the words and the images they conveyed.

via

We are moving...

2012-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

Carmi has set us off on this week's Thematic Photographic theme, Movement, with

a fantastic bird shot. I thought zooming cars, etc, but then decided I'd put up a

couple of photos from a day out in Auckland last week.

Here are four ferries manouevering in and out of the passenger wharves on the waterfront:

and a seal at the Auckland Zoo; it was such a hot day, I envied him his cool water.

Thematic Photographic 179 - Glow

2012-01-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

What a great theme for this week! I used up a lot of my night pictures for the

After Dark theme, so these are going to be about glowing light, rather than glowing lights.

The official cat of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, basks in the warm glow of the sunlight coming through the windows. According to our guide, this cat is "famous throughout the world", because President Obama admired and patted it when he visited.

In Gordion, also in Turkey, one walks through this tunnel into the

(possible) tomb of King Midas

In Santa Margharita, on the Italian 'riviera', the rising sun made the houses

on the hillside opposite my hotel window glow

And in another early morning shot, the sun made the walls of the Vatican City

a lovely mellow colour

Closer to home, it was late afternoon sun on the Great Ocean Road coast of Victoria, Australia, which made the cliffsides and standing rocks named The Twelve Apostles a warm shade of glow

To see what others have posted for this theme, and maybe to take part, go here.

A Bulletin from The Dinosaurs' Club

2012-01-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

Our morning paper runs a column called Sideswipe, which contains amusing little stories, anecdotes and so on. Often it includes photos which readers send in, of weird signs,

strange people and/or animals, or unusual events.

Here are a few of the photos from recent weeks,

containing material I am sure will interest other Dinosaurs.

Fancy a home with that little extra something?

Maybe this one was trying to emphasise that they are especially good at

one of the procedures that happens here:

Don't worry, they haven't fallen off the back of a truck ~

Please! Don't remind me!!!

Hope these made you amused, rather than apoplectic....

By the side one of my favourite walks there is a large Kauri tree, fenced to protect it from harm and with a plaque affixed which says 'Judges Tree'. Thankfully, some other pedantic nerd

got there before me and inserted a large apostrophe between the e and the s.

After Dark in Torino

2012-01-11T19:13:00.000-08:00

This is a post for Thematic Photographic; Carmi over at Written Inc has started 2012
with the theme of After Dark. Visit there to check out other ideas for this topic.

In May of last year (not used to saying that about 2011 yet) I took some photos on an evening out in Turin. They're not great; I wasn't always able to hold the camera still enough, and some are taken through the bus window, but they do the job of bringing back those travel memories...

Firstly, a courtyard waiting for some diners:

Walking back to the bus:

~ and don't forget to look up!

Some interesting lighting outside a hotel:

~ it was late for us, but too early for many Italians to be out and about

Thanks for visiting.

"the goodness of the night upon you, friends"

Books of 2011

2012-01-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Last year I was determined to keep a track of all of the books I read. This is a break-down of the genres; it's possible I may have forgotten to keep note of a few, but this is more or less right:

My two top picks of the year would be:

Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks, a fictional account based on a real person - the first Native American to graduate from Havard, in 1665. This was a stunning novel which was beautifully realised and kept my interest all the way through, even though I am not usually a great reader of historical novels.

and:

The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal, an astonishing, beautiful and uplifting
account of the author's search to find out about his family's history.
This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time.

Trees and Art

2012-01-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I visited the Waitakaruru Arboretum near Hamilton to see their current exhibition of sculpture among the trees. The arboretum was made by plantings in a disused quarry, and covers over 17 hectares (42 acres), with lovely walking tracks around the lakes, outcrops and gullies, and the plantings of many tree varieties.

The walk alone is worth going for, but it's really enjoyable and fun to come across

all of the various sculptures around the park.

In the current exhibition, Sky above Earth below, there are 37 pieces, but there are another 35 or so 'permanent' pieces throughout.

There were lots of family groups around, and there are certainly many exhibits to appeal to kids, such as this old taniwha* in a pond:

or these birds of prey dealing with a kill:

The piece I liked best was this chimney among the pines, with its connotations of the past; in this country the chimney is often the only thing left standing when a house has been abandoned to crumble and disintegrate...

I also really liked this strange thing, caught amongst the trees:

Because of the trees, the park has been declared a Permanent Carbon Sink under our government's carbon sink initiative - trees play a significant role in absorbing carbon and slowing the rate of climate change. So, there you go: intriguing, attractive - AND politically correct!

All in all it was a lovely thing to do on a holiday morning.

*taniwha - monster

Best of 2011 #3

2012-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

In April of 2011 I spent 3 weeks in Italy.

I posted this pic last year, of two little cherubs in St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Best of 2011 #2

2011-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

Although it's over-exposed, I loved this shot.

It's a larger-than-lifesize carving of a Māori warrior beside a walkway around the pit rim

of the open-cast goldmine in the small town of Waihi, New Zealand.

(posted for Thematic Photographic)

Thematic Photographic: Favourite shots

2011-12-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

Carmi over at Written Inc has once again suggested that we finish off the year

with some of the pictures we've liked most of the ones we've taken in 2011,

whether we've already posted them or not.

Here's my first pick; I took it only a week ago, on a walk on the Tunnel Loop track

through the Karangahake Gorge.

I like it because of the textures and the shapes:

I'm looking forward to seeing other people's choices :)

Happy Festive Season!

2011-12-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

All the very best for the holidays to my blogosphere friends!

(We're a day ahead of y'all, so I'm getting in early...)

Strangers in a strange land

2011-12-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

This is a post for Thematic Photographic 176, "Strangers among us". Carmi asked us to take "a photo of a stranger, any stranger" and post it to our blogs.

For most of these choices, I'm the stranger!

In April, for my first morning in Rome, I had booked a guided tour to see the Vatican, St Peter's Basilica, etc. - a good way of avoiding the loooong lines of people queueing to get in, sometimes for hours. This is the group of strangers I was about to spend the day with, pictured as we waited for the guide to sort something out.

When I downloaded this shot taken in the timeless streets of Pompei, I was amused

to see a man busy talking on his cellphone:

If you've been to Pompei you will remember the large open sheds where there are lots of artefacts stacked roof-high, and a number of glass cases with twisted bodies, human and animal, 'mummified' by the ash:

In Palermo I enjoyed seeing this young monk having his visit to the Cathedral recorded - an elderly lady, his mother I'd guess, was taking the photo:

These two ladies, residents of Parma, were too busy crossing the square outside the Duomo to cast a glance at strange photographers:

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

~ Tennessee Williams

The Hitch

2011-12-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Whether you admired him or despised him, thought about his ideas or dismissed them, it was hard to ignore the brilliance and the clarity of his writing.

As a poetry lover (and learner), I admire the comments he made in this 2005 article about the value and importance of poetry. It includes these lines:

My own acquaintance and relationship with poetry is bound up with acquisition, memorization, and recital. That is: I realized when I was quite young that I could learn poems "by heart," as the saying goes. This may have something to do with early experience in compulsory religious and scriptural studies. It was no hardship for me to commit hymns and verses of the Bible (though not so many psalms, oddly enough) to memory.

..........

...I think that there is something of the gold standard about the echo and recall of poetry in the conscious mind.

..........

Poetry, to put it another way, is also a good training in the ironic.

Rest in Peace.

Beach dreams

2011-12-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

Those friendly blogosphere people who drop by here now and then know that they will often see water pictures on my blog. I especially love the sea, in all its moods - rough and wild in an autumn storm, clear and calm on a winter's morning, noisy and full of purpose at high tides, leaving its shelldrift debris strewn across the sand.

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore."

~Vincent Van Gogh

In the long, narrow islands which make up New Zealand, there is nowhere far from the sea. I live ten minutes' drive from the east coast, where I can look out across the Pacific Ocean and imagine that I can see Chile; it takes me 2 hours or so to drive westwards to the other coast, the wild west coast of the Tasman Sea, where the shores are rugged, the sands are black, and the surf is always pumping.

Taranaki, October 2011

My very best thing to do is to walk on the beach. I love to watch the water and the offshore islands, volcanic giants slumbering hunch-shouldered in sea mists or sparkling sunlight. If there are others around, so be it - but I keep away from the Surf Club end in the summer; the fewer people around the better!

What is it that so draws me about the ocean? There are some things I can put into words: it seems endless, even though it's not; it appears benign, although it often isn't. I like the whole in-and-out, up-and-down, ebb-and-flow thing, which in a transient and hectic world seems calming, soothing, a certainty.
So, I get tetchy if I don't get my beach fix; at a pinch I'll make do with a lake or a river, but the air, the waves, the smells on the seashore all add up to what to me is a very fundamental and important part of my life.

My beach, mid-winter

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea."

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The One

2011-12-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

In response to this week's Thematic Photographic theme, here is my photo of The Hanging Rock, in the state of Victoria in Australia. If you've ever read the novel or seen the movie "Picnic at Hanging Rock", you will know all about this sinister place:

Gardens of New Plymouth

2011-12-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

In the October holidays I visited the small city of New Plymouth, on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island.

This area is known for its beautiful gardens, and the climate lends itself particularly to rhododendrons, azaleas, roses, and other temperate beauties. Because of its closeness to a dormant volcano, Mt Taranaki, the winters are cold and there is more than enough rain - as I was about to find out!

I'm no great expert or fantastic gardener, but I was determined to see at least the three main public gardens; I'd never before been in the area at the peak of the

rhododendron season.

It rained for most of the week, but I was intrepid!

Tupare is close to the residential area of the city; it was begun in 1932 and covers 3.6 hectares (9 acres) of hillside and river banks. The original house sits down in a valley, and the walking tracks follow the contours of the hillside

Wisteria grows along the top of an arbour near the house

...I hadn't been there long before it began to rain heavily

So I took a couple more rhodo shots, then scuttled back up the hill to the carpark.

I got very wet....

This is also the garden where I found those luminous echiums:

The next morning I set off for Hollard Garden, 4.5 hectares (11 acres) on farming land. This was begun in 1927 by Bernie and Rose Hollard - he was a keen and knowledgeable plantsman, best known for his hybrid Rh. Kaponga.

It was sunny when I first arrived, but not for long...

There were many lovely examples of Bernie's pride and joy, his creation Rhododendron Kaponga, a beautiful clear red

I loved this creamy-yellow one:

But again the rain came down, so heavily that I was forced to retreat once again.

A few days later I had more luck at Pukeiti, the largest of them all; 360 hectares (890 acres) of regenerating rainforest, with 20 hectares of hybrid and species rhodos, along with many unusual shrubs and trees from all over the world. It was established in 1951, and is an internationally recognised garden and plant collection. The weather was overcast but only slightly damp, and I enjoyed wandering the garden for several hours.

Here are some of the shots I took:

The garden is the poor man's apothecary.

~German Proverb

Thematic Photographic 174: Seeing Red

2011-12-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

Summer's here !

This rose was out on the 1st of December, marking the first day of summer in New Zealand.

See other reds here

Another flash or two...

2011-12-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

I had to have a second go at this theme.

I've been searching through my travel albums for some more flashes of colour:

At a rice farm in Tuscany

Pink meerkats in Portofino

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

In a vineyard near Parma


Detail of a window in the Duomo, Milan

A taxi in Palermo, Sicily

Jiading, China

I didn't dare go near my Turkish albums - otherwise this post might go on forever!

For more flashes of colour, go here.

A flash of colour...

2011-11-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

For this week's Thematic Photographic I found some of the shots from my October holiday week in the small North Island city of New Plymouth, one of my favourite places.

Most of the week it rained - heavily. One day I saw an old church building beside the petrol station, with a "Craft Shop" sign. Inside it was so bright and colourful that it warmed and cheered me straight away:

Downtown in the city, there is this rather bizarre clock tower. Weird, but I like it:

The area is renowned for its many beautiful gardens, some of which are open to the public.

At Tupare Garden were these gorgeous echiums:

And at Hollard Gardens I loved this bright rhododendron against the green lawns and shrubs:

No entry

2011-11-27T00:41:00.000-08:00

You shall not enter, the way is blocked:

farm gate, Cape Egmont, Taranaki, October 2011

Muted

2011-11-22T00:09:00.000-08:00

The theme this week is an understandable choice for Carmi at Written Inc. I've been feeling rather muted myself, as I mark the 3rd anniversary of the death of someone I loved greatly. It doesn't get any easier.

For this motif I have picked some peaceful, quiet shots - they fit my idea of 'muted'.


Late afternoon, winter, school playing fields


Lighthouse, Cape Egmont, New Zealand

Winter morning, Whangaroa

Lake Taupo, New Zealand

Evening light, Lake Rotorua

Athenree

"Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit"

~ Anton Chekhov

Classic

2011-11-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

This Thematic Photographic theme sent me wandering off for pics of things which the word classic suggested. But no cars; I'll leave them to Max :)

Wikipedia says: "The word classic means something that is a perfect example of a particular style, something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality. It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature and other cultural artifacts."

Classic beauty

Classic book

Classic children's book


Classic movie

I could have gone on along that track for some time: instead, I thought I might find some photos of classic architecture from my own albums. Here are some buildings I have visited, all different, all classic:


La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Erechtheion, Acropolis, Athens

St Peter's, Rome

Duomo, Milan

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

Mausoleum of Ataturk, Ankara

Hope you enjoyed my classic offerings. For more, go here.

At the Art Gallery

2011-11-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, finally, I made the trip to Auckland to see the newly-revamped City Art Gallery
(I wanted to wait until the Rugby World Cup was over
and there weren't crowds of tourists around).

They have redecorated the old building beautifully, but the most stunning feature is the see-through glass atrium which is full height,
and which brings the park on the hillside right indoors.

The most stunning new work is this enormous kinetic floral sculpture, the flowers of which gently open and close randomly. LED lights in and around the blooms illuminate it at night.

This work, by Choi Jeong Hwa of South Korea, is called Flower Chandelier, and was specifically designed for the Gallery's north atrium. It is clearly visible from the street outside, brightening up even an overcast spring day, as this one was:

Another work by the same artist, Red, occupies the reflection pool in the forecourt at the front entrance to the Gallery.

A feature I found really lovely was the wooden roof and overarching "awning" as you approach the doors:

And what is there to see inside? That will have to wait for another post.

Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot

2011-11-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Guy Fawkes

One of the many stupid "traditions" which we in this country inherited from our British forefathers is the commemoration on November 5th every year of a failed act of terrorism. Guy Fawkes, says Wikipedia, "became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been commemorated in England since 5 November 1605. His effigy is often burned on a bonfire, commonly accompanied by a firework display."

Last night was the usual sort of early spring evening - cold, occasionally showery, and very windy. There were continuous cracks, booms and bangs all over the neighbourhood for 3 or 4 hours, much to the dismay of Sophie the cat and Manu LeGrand, her canine buddy. When we had horses which we grazed near town, we used to ride them out into the coutry to a friend's farm for the week leading up to the 5th.

At 3.00 am we were woken by a phone call from our adult daughter, sobbing with despair and begging us to come over. Terrified (she hadn't been able to tell us what was wrong), we dressed warmly and made the 10 minute drive to her house, speculating that something had happened to one of the children (11 months and 2½) or to her husband, who is working in New Caledonia for 6 weeks. We got there to find 2 fire engines and a police car in attendance.

Their house is at the side of the playing fields of a primary (elementary) school, and at about 2.20 she had been woken by a loud BANG on the roof of the garage. Looking out of the window, she saw flames and smoke on a corner of the garage roof, a mere 18 metres or so from her bedroom. Calling 111 as she ran, out she went, got the hose, and played water on the roof until it went out. Then she saw flickering through the window of the garage, and realised the flames had got inside. She was trying to put that out when the firemen arrived. The kids had slept through the whole thing.

A rogue firework, you'll be thinking - a rocket which was blown onto the roof by the wind. They happen every year, and start grass and shed fires all round the country. That wouldn't be so bad. No, someone had thrown 2 molotov cocktails from the school playground onto the roof. One had landed, the other had gone right over on to the driveway, and had not exploded. While she was hosing the roof she heard voices which she described

to the police as "young males".

These kids will probably never be caught.

I cannot put into words what I think of them - I am too tired. None of us got any more sleep, of course, and it's been a long day. All I can do is be thankful that none of my precious family was hurt, and that they threw onto the garage and not the house.

I hope that was a deliberate choice.

To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice. ~Confucius

Bricks and Mortar

2011-11-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

A new TP - and this time it's Bricks and Mortar. This is great - I get another chance to post some of the beautiful structures I've seen in Europe over the last couple of years.

Firstly off to Montserrat, north of Barcelona in Spain. The beautiful Benedictine monastery and church are on the top of a mountain 1236 meters (4055 ft) above the valley floor. Montserrat is the highest point of the Catalan lowlands, and is an important shrine to the Catalonian people. I was there at Easter last year, and although I'm not Catholic I loved the spiritual atmosphere of this beautiful spot.

My second stop is Meteora, in the north of Greece, which I visited on the same trip. The area is famous for the monasteries which sit perched on the very top of high mountains. It is an amazing place.
At Varlaam Monastery, built in 1350, they used to winch supplies up to the monks - it took 22 years to hoist all of the building materials for the three churches, the monks' cells - and a water tank.
Seven monks live there today.

This lovely little chapel is at another Meteora monastery, St Stephen's, built around 1400.

It is now a nunnery.

This year I visited Milan; these two piles of bricks and mortar are both part of the Castello Sforzesco,

once the seat of the Duchy of Milan, now a museum and art gallery.

While in Italy I also went to Lucca, and it was one of the highlights of my trip. Here are two

not-so-majestic bricks and mortar pictures:

Thanks for re-visiting these lovely places with me; looking back on travel pictures immediately takes me back to the moment, the feelings, the atmosphere. Thanks to Carmi at Written Inc for this Thematic Photographic opportunity!

Thematic Photographic 168: Metallica

2011-10-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

This week's theme over at Carmi's blog gives me a chance to post some of the shots

I took on a Sunday walk in August (late winter here).

The day was fine and sunny but the light was hard and wintry. I visited the old

goldmine battery in the Karangahake Gorge.

There are walkways and bike tracks, the skeletons of the old buildings, and rusty old machinery lying everywhere. It is really interesting to walk around the site and look at all of the metal pipes, machines and bits and pieces those old miners left behind.

Here are my heavy metal pics:

Finally a photo of the metal footbridge by which you can enter the park:

For more metal pics, visit Thematic Photographic and join in the fun!

Thematic Photographic 167: Edible

2011-10-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Everybody's posts are so interesting and enticing this week at Carmi's Written Inc

around the theme of Edible. Some of them made me really hungry, so I had to go

and make myself an early lunch.

Here it is: cream cheese and pastrami on a ciabatta bun, with tomatoes, leftover-from-last-night asparagus, and a few Kalamata olives.
And yes, it tasted good!

Welcome Spring

2011-10-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

On my side of the world spring is really getting into its stride. I've been away for a week

of our school spring holiday and seen some beautiful gardens, one of my favourite coastlines, and a lighthouse - of which more later.

For now I want to post some photos I took an hour ago in my own garden. I love dwarf Japanese maples, and just as they have stunning autumnal colours, they also have lovely foliage in the spring, albeit in less intense shades. Here are 5 of my little trees:

As well, the wisteria is out,

the jasmine has begun sending its sweet smell around the garden:

the pink leaves of the 'Toon' tree (cedrela sinensis) are sprouting

and Mr A has planted 36 precious tomato plants, each one carefully protected against predations by the resident cat and dog ;)

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.

~Anon

Thematic Photographic 165: Welcome Autumn?

2011-10-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Well it may be the beginning of autumn for Carmi at Written Inc., and for all of my northern-hemisphere friends. Here it's well and truly spring, and to take part in this week's theme I have very little to offer but a lovely liquidamber tree and some fungi from last autumn:

Enjoy your season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, y'all - I'm looking forward to summer!

What English teachers know...

2011-10-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

English teachers know: that texts are always invitations to a party and that not all

parties are the same. For instance, at some parties they spike the drinks.

Enjoy the invitation and check out the party.

Words by Terry Locke.

Pictures from here, here, here, here and here

It's in the detail....

2011-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

I spent a lovely day on Capri in April of this year, and I was already in the process of planning a post entitled "A Day in Capri" when I saw that Carmi had put up It's in the Details for this week's Thematic Photographic theme...

I kept my post but decided to zero in on the details and leave the

big-picture shots for another time. Please click to see even more detail!

You get to the island after a short ferry trip from Naples:

It's always intriguing to look up and see details on the buildings:

And as always, it's just as fascinating to watch people as anything else around you:

Many of the hotels have beautiful tiled signs. The Quisisana is the top place to stay on the island (no, we didn't stay there):

Maybe this one was more down-market:

There were some really lovely flower beds in the public gardens -

and also some detailed tiling on a beautiful seat - not sure it

would have been too comfortable, though:

There are tiled signs everywhere

And I especially liked the bull with one red horn outside the La Palma:

And finally, some detailed advice on personal safety...

I had great fun cropping these pictures to look more closely! Hope you have enjoyed walking around Capri with me. Go here to see more posts around this theme.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ah spring! it's a cold, wet, miserable day. All of my lovely magnolia flowers are being blown off the tree. Still, daylight saving started this morning, so things can only get better.

Here's a shot to remind me that warmer, gentler days are coming. This is one of the many small lakes near the thermal resort city of Rotorua.

Thematic Photographic 162: Playing with Light

2011-09-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

Check out the great photos for this week's theme over at Carmi's blog.

Here are my playing photos, light-wise:

The Oriental Pearl tower, Shanghai, taken from the Jin Mao tower (421 m high)

The Oriental Pearl tower(350 m), taken from the street

Driving in Milan at night:

Flowers made of felt, lit up at the Festival of Lights, held annually

in New Plymouth, New Zealand:

What English teachers know

2011-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

English teachers know: that they owe it to their students to draw a curtain on the world of noise and to help them find the silent moment where the prong of insight emerges into light.

Words by Terry Locke
Pictures from here, here, here, and here

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the most beautiful early spring day you can imagine. (Today, it's raining. Hard.)

Early in the morning I drove north up the coast to a popular resort beach.

Some were taken into the sun so the light's not the best, but I like them...

White

2011-09-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

I love white. It's one of my favourite 'colours'. I really like wearing white - it always makes me feel crisp and fresh.

Here's some white shots for this week's theme at Thematic Photographic; click here to learn more and join in. I hope you enjoy these - they look better if you click on them to enlarge....

Orchids at Singapore's Changi Airport

My daughter and son-in-law's wedding rings

White houses on Capri, April 2011

Peony on the roadside, Asti

Houses at Aborobello, Italy

My beach, mid-winter

Underside of a tree-fern frond

Sunday Snapshot

2011-09-03T22:34:00.000-07:00

Spring has definitely sprung!

On today's walk we saw this beautiful shrub (Pieris, I think)

My magnolia is just beginning its display:

Spring air --

Woven moon
And plum scent.

~ Basho

Shopping, Part 2

2011-08-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

In spite of my claim to hate shopping, I couldn't resist posting another group of pictures for this week's Thematic Photographic theme:

A juice stall on Capri. It was delicious!

Stunning food shop in Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre.

A nice relaxed return from getting essentials - Monterosso

Arcade in Rome

At the Mall, back home in New Zealand

Outdoor market in Wellington

Shopping in Turkey

2011-08-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

This week's Thematic Photographic theme is 'Shopping'.

When I saw it I went, "Oh no!!" I hate shopping. Food - can't be bothered;

clothes - ditto. Malls? Yikes!

Then I looked through the albums, and found lots of photos I could post. In fact, I'm going to have to post several batches ;).

Here's the first lot: shopping, Turkish style.

Bazaar in Bursa

I wish I'd bought one of his lovely carpets

In the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

At Perge

This made me laugh so much - fake watch sellers at Ephesus

(Click to embiggen)

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

This coming Thursday is September the 1st, and that will officially be our first day of spring.

I can't wait! For the last two weeks we've already been having very springlike weather, sunny, warm(ish) and calm.

For our walk today Manu LeGrand and I wandered around the old goldmine battery in the Karangahake Gorge. There are walkways and bike tracks, the skeletons of the old buildings, and rusty old machinery lying everywhere. Click to enlarge and get a better look!

Cyclists enjoying the warm sunshine

Manu found a friend to look at stuff with

Hmmm - wonder if Carmi's ever considered a 'rusty' theme?

I really hope none of you have been affected by Hurricane Irene - fingers crossed!

Not a hint of vibrancy...

2011-08-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Carmi's theme at Thematic Photographic this week is VIBRANT! Some stunning shots have been posted; check them out here.

I'm feeling anything but vibrant, and I've had no time to go looking for vibrant things to inspire me, so I'm hoping that posting some lovely flowers and fruit will improve my mood and make me feel a little bit less dull. Click to enlarge.

Spring tulips in Wellington:

Orchids at Singapore airport:

Fruit market in Barcelona:

And some of last summer's flower tubs in my back yard:

Thematic Photographic 158: Made of Glass

2011-08-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

This week's TP topic is "Made of Glass".

I had nothing that I felt I wanted to post for this; other people's pics were so stunning that I felt intimidated. However it was a sunny Saturday morning so I gathered up some glass objects from around the house, and had fun playing with them. Here are my glass objects, complete with dust...

This Chinese bottle has the design painted, by hand, on the INSIDE !

I collect eggs. I bought these little glass ones in Sorrento.

Hand-made dish from a local artisan.

Glass objects on a glass table....

I enjoyed seeing all the colours and the reflections, and ended up enjoying this theme after all:

A tribute

2011-08-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

A State funeral was held in Auckland this morning for Bishop Sir Paul Reeves

(December 1932 – August 2011)

Sir Paul was someone I have known about and admired for all of my adult life. He was the first person of Māori descent to be appointed Governor-General of New Zealand (the Governor-General represents the Queen and is our Head of State). Before that he was Bishop of Auckland, and later Archbishop of New Zealand. He also held a number of other diplomatic and advisory posts, including Anglican Observer at the United Nations, and Assistant Bishop of New York; he chaired the Nelson Mandela Trust. For the last 11 years he was the Chancellor of the Auckland University of Technology.

Paul Reeves was a tall, good-looking man with considerable presence and dignity - what we in this country call "mana". He was also a great and good man, always humble; he was the first GG not to have come from a privileged background, being the son of a working class Wellington tram driver. Moreover, he was the first non-military and non-judicial holder of the office. In 2007, having received NZ’s highest possible honour, he summed up his life’s work as, “fundamentally, I’m a priest of the Anglican Church…I’ve helped good people do good things.”

I found it especially moving to learn that on his State coat-of-arms, his official motto was Whakarongo, which simply means "Listen'.

Kua hinga he totara i te wao nui a Tane*

*(a huge tree has fallen in the forest)

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Winter afternoon.

It's cold but there are still kids playing on the shore, and people kayaking.

"I was just thinking, if it is really religion with these nudist colonies,

they sure must turn atheists in the wintertime."

~Will Rogers

More rough stuff

2011-08-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

Some more shots which fit the rough theme at Thematic Photographic. I took these late this afternoon while walking the dog in the area of native bush up at school; they're a few of the things I saw looking down at the forest floor:

It's Rough when....

2011-08-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

.... the cliff's too rough to climb!

This seal looked as if he was contemplating how on earth he was going to get up the cliff.

I took this several years ago on the rugged coast down south of New Zealand.

Posted for Thematic Photographic's "Rough" theme, over at Written Inc.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-08-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

This man reads the paper near the Library in a small town neighbouring the one I live in.

His dog waits patiently for his attention.

The sculpture has a lovely restful air. Many times I have seen people sitting close beside

him to have a photo taken - he never seems to mind their presumption,
but continues to look calmly across the street.

Trawling for Red: Thematic Photographic 156

2011-08-02T22:40:00.000-07:00

People have been posting some great RED shots in answer to this week's challenge over at Written Inc.

I don't have any fantastic red sunsets, but I found a few red pics in a quick sweep through my albums.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

At the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara, Turkey, I took this lovely bronze artifact. It was used by Hittite priests and symbolises the universe, and it is dated from 2100 B.C.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Four shots from this year's trip to Italy:

poppies growing at an arborio rice farm

a red lighthouse spotted from the ferry trip along the Ligurian coast

and one of the beautiful beasts at the Ferrarri Museum at Parma

This little red Fiat parked along the road from the Museum didn't match the Ferrarri, but

it's cute! One of these was my first car ever.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Finally, back home in New Zealand: a beautiful bloom from the native Pohutukawa tree, growing in my own backyard

Sunday Snapshot

2011-07-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

While I was looking for photos for Thematic Photographic's BIG theme this week, I came across these photos of the 'Trojan Horse', taken when I visited Troy, in Turkey, last year.

Before you visit Troy, the guidebooks warn that there "isn't much to see". Archaeologists have found evidence of 9 different civilisations, the first dating from 3000 BC and the last from about 200 AD. But there are no pillars or columns, no temples or statues to be seen. I didn't mind that one bit - I loved the peaceful grassy mounds and the stone remains of walls that are visible.

However there is this rather kitschy-looking wooden horse, which is supposed to be symbolic of the wooden horse which Odysseus had built to trick his way into the city. You can go inside and climb up to look out of the square 'windows' and out of the horse's eyes, which of course I did.

Have a lovely Sunday!

"Always carry a frying pan by its handle" ~ Catalan proverb.

Thematic Photographic: BIG

2011-07-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

This week's theme is 'Big' - people have been posting some GREAT BIG PHOTOS !
Head over to Carmi at Written Inc if you're interested in finding out about this non-competition for people who like taking photos.

***

I'm going to limit myself to 3 shots this week. Click on the picture to make it BIGGER !

The Roman aqueduct near Aspendos. Those Romans sure thought big:

***

Barcelona, inside the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia. I love the way the sunlight has turned
the column yellow and blue:

***

Finally some BIG people at my favourite place for hanging around and filling in time between flights: Singapore's Changi Airport

Sunday Snapshot

2011-07-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

These are the camellias which are blooming today, in my mid-winter garden. Some of them are looking rather weather-beaten after all of the wind and rain we have had this past week.

"People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us."

~Iris Murdoch

Holidays are good for you

2011-07-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

This week's Thematic Photographic topic is Vacation. I am in the middle of a 2-week winter school break but I'm not planning any trips, other than to the supermarket or down to school to work there.
My first thought was to look in the albums of the overseas trips I've taken in the last few years. But then I decided to stay here in New Zealand, and chose some pics from a road trip a few years ago. These were taken on the shore of Lake Rotorua, in the central North Island, as the late afternoon light deepened into dusk...

Click to enlarge

"Holidays restore what everyday life steals from you"

~ Advertising slogan on a campaign currently running on some of our TV channels.

Eulogy for a stranger

2011-07-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to a funeral. He was a man I knew only superficially; I went as my husband's representative, as he is away overseas at the moment.

It wasn't a sad funeral, as send-offs go. The man was 90, and had been fit and well until a few weeks ago. Last week he bought a new exercycle, because he had "worn out the last one" doing his never-varied 11.1 km per day cycling regime. (Why 11.1 km? I have no idea.)

A meticulous gardener, he had great pride in entering his garden into the annual district Garden Tour; today speakers enjoyed commenting on the green mower which sat amongst the memorabilia around his casket. He was a golf fanatic who played his last round at the end of June: "of late he had not bothered with carrying a scorecard; he just counted the number of pars he could get". He was gently scathing about people who use motorised golf carts and battery-assisted trundlers.

He and his wife of 46 years had never had children - instead, they had a huge extended family of nephews and nieces, greats and great-greats. The most moving tribute today was from a great-niece, a beautiful girl who came forward to speak simply and movingly about the precious hours she had spent with him and the love she bears him. He must have been extremely proud of her.

He was a true gentleman, a person of integrity and kindness. I wish I had known him better.

When I sat down to write this post, I had no intention of writing about the funeral. It just wrote itself, and the intended post, about birds I saw on my walk today, can wait for another day.

"Goodness in words creates trust, goodness in thinking creates depth, goodness in giving creates love."

~ Lao Tse

Sunday Snapshots

2011-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Friday was the last day of school for 2 weeks - our mid-winter break. Today is lovely and sunny after a slight frost. Manu LeGrand was very keen to get out for a walk; I've been a bit off-colour the last few days and the weather has been lousy, so there hasn''t been any walking to speak of.
We headed off up to the school grounds, which is his favourite walking place, and I took my camera instead of the ipod.
Remember to click on the pics to see them better.

Firstly, some parallels for Thematic Photographic's theme this week:

and the (parallel) rugby football posts:

The climbing wall is almost hidden among the trees

The school runs a large agricultural unit ... there will be calves (donated by local farmers) on these paddocks before too long:

and we also maintain a large area of native bush. It was lovely walking through it today, with the weak winter sun coming through the trees:

And there's a non-native interloper - an early-flowering rhododendron

The cricket practice nets will not be needed again for a few months yet

and by the look of that expanse of cloudless blue, it could be quite a heavy frost tonight!

When we get home, Sofie is waiting for us at the back door, posing nicely beside a camellia bush

Hope you all enjoy your Sundays, wherever you are.

Sunday Snapshot 7

2011-07-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm being punished for crowing about what a beautiful, mild winter we were having! As I sit here, the rain/hail is battering at my window, the wind is shaking the house....

To cheer myself up I've picked this shot for my Sunday post this week.

I was spending the day on Capri, in late April. The weather was

the complete opposite of what it is here at the moment!

This cheerful chap was having a break from the strenuous task of painting the benches in the Augustus Gardens, and was happy to say yes when I asked if I could take his photograph:

"The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination."

~Terri Guillemets

Best Poems Ever

2011-07-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

High Country Weather

Alone we are born,
And die alone.
Yet see the red-gold cirrus,
Over snow-mountain shine.

Upon the upland,
Ride easy stranger.
Surrender to the sky,
Your heart of anger.

- James K. Baxter.

Thematic Photographic 152: Vertical

2011-07-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

I loved this theme - it sent me trawling through so many of my photo albums, and

brought back many happy memories.

Don't forget, the shots look better if you click to enlarge them.

Visit Carmi at Written Inc. to take part and see other verticalities.

So, here we go:

These poles are strategically placed so that kiwifruit vines will climb up them

The old pumphouse from the goldmine at Waihi, New Zealand

Some of the many spires on La Sagrada Familia cathedral, Barcelona

Columns at Corinth

And columns at Delphi

And MORE columns, this time at Pompei

Lovely spires here: the Duomo, Milan

One of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen: the Blue Mosque, Istanbul

The beautiful facade of the library at Ephesus

Finally, the flagpoles ready for the annual ANZAC ceremony at Gallipoli

Sunday Snapshot 6

2011-07-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of winter.
It's a beautiful sunny morning, but I figure the birds think
that it's too cold for a dip in the estuary...

My Favourite Things

2011-06-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

My favorite color of car is yellow
My favorite color of shirt is white

My favorite color of pants is black
My favorite smell is espresso coffee

My favorite flower is freesia
My favorite time is dusk
My favorite small city is Santa Margharita
My favorite big city is Milan, or maybe San Francisco, or Barcelona, or Melbourne (in the summer)

My favorite sport is tennis

My favorite hobby is reading
My favorite thing to do is listen to music
My favorite month is March, or maybe November
My favorite past time is travelling

I pilfered this from Rick's blog at Life 101

It was fun to read his list, and fun to make one of my own.
What are some of your favorite things?

Best Poems Ever

2011-06-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Photographs of Pioneer Women

You can see from their faces

Life was not funny,

The streets, when there were streets,

Tugging at axles,

The settlement ramshackle as a stack of cards.

And where there were no streets, and no houses,

Save their own roof of calico or thatch,

The cows coming morning and afternoon

From the end-of-world swamp,

Udders cemented with mud.

There is nothing to equal pioneering labour

For wrenching a woman out of shape,

Like an old willow, uprooted, thickening.

See their strong arms, their shoulders broadened

By the rhythmical swing of the axe, or humped

Under loads they donkeyed on their backs.

Some of them found time to be photographed,

With bearded husband, and twelve or thirteen children,

Looking shocked, but relentless,

After first starching the frills in their caps.

Ruth Dallas

Thematic Photographic 151: Rough

2011-06-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

There had been a 3-day easterly storm , and there were driftwood logs and debris thrown up

all along our beach.

These kids were enjoying playing amongst the flotsam:

See other "Rough" entries here.

I've had a rough day at school today - but I won't mention that....

Sunday Snapshot 5

2011-06-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

During my day on the Ligurian coast of Italy, I took another of my "class photos", of which

I'm starting to have quite a collection.

These little guys were having a lovely time in Vernazza, sitting in the sun and enjoying their gelati.

I wish I was back there now!

A day on the Italian Riviera....

2011-06-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

As I may perhaps have mentioned (!) I spent the last 2 weeks of April and the 1st week of May in Italy.

One of the highlights was a day spent hopping along the villages of the Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian coast, by ferry boat.

The day was beautifully sunny, not too hot, a little breezy. And as it was early in the season, not too crowded!

Early in the morning we caught the boat at the old naval station city of

La Spezia

not long afterwards, we rounded a cape to stop briefly to change ferries at Porto Venere

Thirty minutes later we were at the first of the Five Villages, Riomaggiore

From there we had the option of getting back on a ferry to the next village, Manarola, or walking along the cliff path to meet the boat there, which I did

It was a very easy walk and left us some time before catching the ferry to the village, Vernazza

(the prettiest according to our guide).

Three hours at the last village, Monterosso, meant plenty of time for a leisurely lunch and

lots of exploring

Finally we got one of the frequent trains to our destination for the next 3 days, Santa Margherita, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. But that's another post....

Please click on photos to enlarge

Sunday Snapshot 4

2011-06-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Two days to go until the shortest day!


our beach, June 21st (midwinter day) 2010 (click to enlarge)

"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;"

~ Christina Rossetti

Thematic Photographic 150: Signs

2011-06-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Signs that make you wonder...
I'm coming in on the tail end of this one - it's been a busy week. I've enjoyed reading other people's strange signs, though. here are some New Zealand signs which have made me wonder....


Little Blue Penguins are endangered, so please don't run over them when they're silly enough to cross the road!

Depth of.... what, exactly?

Yes, they are.

The Main highway through the middle
of the North Island runs through a desert,
several volcanoes - and an Army camp

Kiwis are also endangered. I dislike that there are
bullet marks on this sign.


You may need a translation of NZ slang where this one's concerned

For more entertaining signs, go to Carmi's Written Inc.

Sunday Snapshot 3

2011-06-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

This Māori warrior stands beside the walkway around the pit rim of the open-cast

goldmine in the small town of Waihi, New Zealand.
I like the calm strength which his sculptor has depicted in his face and limbs.

Please click to enlarge

An unexpected beauty

2011-06-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

"Look closely. The beautiful may be small." ~ Immanuel Kant

This morning I came across an article about lichens in the excellent New Zealand Geographic magazine, which included this beautiful 1904 lithograph (Ernst Haeckel Artforms of Nature )

As I am always intrigued and attracted by small and intricate objects, the picture

sent me to the net, and on a site called The Hidden Forest I found some

exquisite photos of New Zealand lichens:

Baeomyces heteromorphus, 12mm high; found on exposed soil and road cuttings

Chrysothrix candelaris, 100mm; found on trees and often mistaken for paint!

Cladina confusa, 90mm; found on disturbed ground

Cladonia pityrea, 50mm

Usnea pusilla, 40mm

Placopsis gelida, 40mm in diameter; found on river stones


Cladia retipora, 70mm


Xanthoria parietina, 15mm in diameter; growing on a plum tree

These and so many others - so delicate, so lovely. Red, white, black, green, orange - every shade except blue, and all kinds of different shapes and forms. They made my day!

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole

life would change" ~ Buddha

Sunday Snapshot 2

2011-06-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

(click to see more detail)

This year during my 3 weeks in Italy, I often found myself in museums

and such places with masses of school groups.

(It was the same last year in Greece and Turkey; April/May must be

a favourite time to acquire culture).

One of our guides always said, "Here come the Barbarians!"

Often she was right....

They ranged in age from elementary to late teens, and they came from all over

Western Europe and also from the USA.

I took this photo in the Museum of Naples (Napoli). I just love

their absorbed, riveted interest.

The first day of winter

2011-06-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 1st of June - the first day, officially, of our Southern hemisphere winter.

I had a "personal day" away from school; it was a perfect clear blue-sky day, and I took my

camera along on a bit of a road trip.

It was very low tide at the inlet where I stopped for a late lunch

boats waited in line for the tide to come in

I stopped near a small bridge. There was colour at the side of the road

and in the sunlight through the trees

but the trees by the river know what season it is

At my final stop the tide was starting to come in, and keen fishermen

were putting their boats into the water

a shag watched the activity

until I came too close

by now the light was getting low; time for me to head home.

"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many

days in the year as you make use of." ~ Charles Richards

Well aged

2011-05-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

This week Carmi has suggested "Well aged" as a photographic theme.

I have recently had a wonderful three-week holiday in Italy, so here are some pics around this idea.

Please click on the photos to see more detail.

Firstly, a well-aged foot from the Vatican Museum in Rome:

I can't resist a shot of the Colosseum:

This mosaic is one of those recovered from Pompei. It is in the
Napoli (Naples)Museum.

Well-aged Parma hams from a family farm. Delicious!

I feel a little disrespectful posting these ones; I hope
no-one takes offence!

They are mummies - one wrapped, one not - from the

Egyptian Museum in Torino (Turin).

You can see more posts on this theme here.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-05-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

We are having a long and unusually mild autumn.

I usually set Sunday mornings aside for schoolwork - marking, paperwork, preparing for the coming week. But this morning I could not resist the warm sunshine and clear blue skies, and decided to let the schoolwork wait. I checked the tide table and headed off for the estuary with Manu LeGrand.

Local trainers often bring their racehorses down there for a workout on the damp sand:

And Manu decided to give his coat a new look by rolling luxuriously in what the horses left behind!

We had a lovely morning.

"The more side roads you stop to explore, the less likely

that life will pass you by." ~Robert Brault

Of Despots and Tyranny

2011-05-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

I work with a tyrant.

No, 'with' is the wrong preposition; it implies some degree of mutual recognition and co-operation.

I work around a tyrant.

In our small dictatorship, This Person (henceforth referred to as TP)

pretty much has total control.

Of everything.

TP has never heard of the word 'delegate'. In spite of having been to a number of management best practice courses and workshops, TP's methods would make up a substantial list of 'What Not To Do As A Manager'.

The List:

total control over all systems. if TP is ever run over by a bus, there are some areas of the 'state' which no-one else knows the workings of. Or the way in or out.
using personal guile and charms to get one's own way, eg flirting with members of the opposite sex.
bursting into tears when things don't go one's way, or when someone complains to the boss.
interrupting and putting people down at meetings.
publicly telling people off in front of other employees - or worse, in front of clients or members of the public.

I could go on and on - but you get the picture, I suspect.

We experience the results of this tyranny on a small scale,

but it gives us an idea of what people in larger despotic states must feel:

We feel undervalued. I know I am good at my job, that I am efficient and capable - but TP can make me feel useless.
We lose heart. What is the point of trying to improve/suggest ideas, if ideas are pooh-poohed or not even acknowledged?
We suffer from general malaise and loss of morale: what used to be a happy staff is an angry, frustrated, and in some cases fearful, staff.

Enough ranting. Happy Saturday.

Images from here, here, here, here and here.

Thematic Photographic 147: Got the Blues

2011-05-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Carmi's new theme at Written Inc is 'Got the Blues'.

I've been feeling pretty darned blue lately, so maybe some

of these blue pics will remind me of happy places and times

Mt Taranaki, New Zealand

Summer Sky

Roof panels at the mall

Fencing in the sky

Park Guell, Barcelona

Corinth

Bells Beach near Melbourne, Australia

Sunday Snapshot

2011-05-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yes I know how predictable I'm being!

Everyone who goes to St Peter's in Rome takes a photo of the Swiss Guards. Why should I be any different?

They were rather gorgeous.

The Pontifical Swiss Guards are the official army of The Vatican City state. They must be Swiss citizens and Catholics. And male. They were formed in 1506 and their uniform is modelled on the Renaissance style.

Words with pictures

2011-05-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sonnet from Jimmie Walker Swamp

The declined summer seemed to call for white wine,
then the sun sank and I was lost in time. Night takes
half my hours, lately, and the reading light burns
the page until I am insensible.

From
Standing Wave
By Robert Allen

images from here, here and here

Thematic Photographic 146: Aerial

2011-05-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most testing theme I've seen since I started participating in Carmi's weekly photographic fun (for other posts see here)

I can't seem to come up with any lateral thinking idea, and I've no pics taken from a space shuttle or an aeroplane...

So herewith some shots taken from high(ish) places: please click to enlarge

An intersection in Barcelona, taken from the roof of Gaudi's "La Pedrera":

Monastery almost aerial, in Meteora, Greece:

o shots of the beautiful blue Mediterranean, from high up n the cliffs of Capri:

And Portofino, taken from the Castle at the top of the town:

Lastly and laterally, Ariel from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Full fathom five thy father lies;
of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange